However, in another way, it’s a credit to the intangibles that Golday shares with Van Ginkel and the locker room as a whole – attributes that are fundamental to Minnesota’s scouting and coaching processes, as well as its culture. His football intelligence is tried-and-true. His grind to get to this stage was tough – not tough like withstanding a hit or delivering one, but tough that would make the vast majority of people in his shoes quit. Ahem, he was a zero-star recruit at Arlington (TN) High School, which produced Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III two years before him, and he experienced a benching on a losing UCA squad. Lastly – if it’s not clear – football means an incredible deal to him.
And that’s the mildest way of framing his passion.
When Golday arrived for rookie minicamp, he explained his “why” – the reason he grinds so hard, the invisible force pushing him forward – to Vikings.com in three parts: First, he noted his love for the sport and the chance to pursue it as his career while building lifelong bonds; secondly, the opportunity to honor his family’s support by representing them through hard work; and, lastly, his total trust in his faith.
“God put me on this earth for this purpose, and I know this is the purpose he put me on this earth for,” Golday offered with unshakable confidence. “I just want to pursue that [to] the best of my abilities.”
On the phone with Golday on April 24 to inform him of the pick, O’Connell conveyed how much love people in the building have for him after they scouted him and got to know him on a deeper level during his Top 30 visit. In the dream-come-true moment, O’Connell noted Golday’s upside and his “ability to be one of those guys that comes in here as a smart, tough, loves-football kinda guy – our kinda guy – and those guys tend to do pretty well here, and that’s exactly what you’re going to do,” the coach told him.
Need we say anymore? The cup runneth over with evidence that Golday is a “VKG” (Vikings Kinda Guy).
Blend that with blessed size and athleticism, and it’s really no wonder spotting Golday was simple.
